Cancer Survivors Course - Houston, Oct 2010

Cecile Louise said:

A little more...
It was a very interesting day! I am very glad to have had the opportunity to get the word out about us to researchers & doctors, and other Sister-Warriors as well. I’m always surprised that our existence here is so little known!
I do, indeed, live in Houston! And, Norma - I would love to attend one of the group meetings! did you meet Florence?

I wrote in another thread about what I learned about us and our diet/exercise habits – here are a a few more snippets from the day:

Endometrial and other uterine cancers:
Are the most commone gynecologic malignancy
Have increased 30% in incidence in the last 20 years - BUT- NCI research $ are decreasing (2008):
uterine = $17.1 million – compared to breast = $572.6 million & ovarian = $100 million
Studies for rare tumors are few
The good news, though, is that advances are being made:
Minimally invasive surgeries are becoming more common
A more targeted approach to radiation therapies is proving more effective and less damaging
Novel agents are being tested for treatment of advanced endometrial cancer
Research into biologic therapies for recurrent disease is promising
Developing a health strategy for Survivors (quality of life, exercise, stress management, importance of hope) is being looked at very closely.

Dr. Barakat from Memorial Sloane-Kettering Cancer Center in New York talked about high-grade cancers (serous, clear cell, squamous, sarcomas, etc). These cancers account for 20% of all uterine cancers, they tend to behave aggressively and are more common among African Americans) He emphasized the need for more research (a common thread among all the speakers), especially the need for participation in randomized trials to determine effective therapies.

Dr. Jubilee Brown from MD Anderson spoke about clinical trials & future treatments, noting that we can find clinical studies at National Cancer Institute (NCI), American Cancer Society, foundations such as GCF & OCRF and local institutions, like MD Anderson.
Clinical trial participants are newly diagnosed or have recurred.
Those who choose to participate in clinical trials
Have access to new drugs & interventions
Receive close, standardized monitoring
Take an active role in their health care
Are among the first to benefit from new treatments, which may be better than what is currently out there
However, the logistics may be burdensome, side effects can be largely unknown and, of course, the new approach may not work.

Motto: Research Cures Cancer!

There are a couple more topics I’ll report on as I’m able.

Love,
Cecile

Cecile Louise said:

Exercise & Nutrition
I moved this from it's original thread in order to keep all the "Cancer Survivors' Course" stuff together

"Exercise has gained recognition as an effective supportive care intervention for cancer survivors, yet participation rates are low." – National Institutes of Health

Another bit of info from the course I attended that I found interesting is that studies show that, compared to Survivors of other cancers, Survivors of endometrial & other uterine cancers are the least likely group to modify or alter their nutritional & exercise habits after diagnosis. And no one knows why. There's plenty of data that suggests that eating right and exercising improves our quality of life and possibly even survival rates, but for some reason, we as a group are not availing ourselves of the potential benefits of better nutrition and exercise. Food for thought (pun intended, haha).

Love,
Cecile